If I jotted down everything I experienced with God lately, it would turn out an overwhelmingly lengthy post. And I do not want my readers to be bored stiff. So, I hope God helps me to put it as briefly as possible and as detailed as necessary. And maybe, I can raise a smile or two from my readers because of my crazy experiences with God.

Today, you can take the headline literally since the alley you can see in the picture I took is called “Kirchenweg” in German, which would be “Church Way” in English. If you walk, bike or drive on this road, you will suddenly see that this path from Oberfürberg (near Fürth, Bavaria) that should have led to the church in

Kirchenweg (“Church Way”) (Photo by Susanne Schuberth)

Burgfarrnbach can no longer be walked on in its entirety for there is a highway cutting through this formerly beautiful lane. I need to admit that I dreamed about this alley lately. However, in my dream I had no idea which street the Lord wanted to show me. But two days later as I was on a bike ride around there, I felt that God wanted me to ride this path and no other. I think it was only the second time in my life that I did so since, honestly, who would ever tread on a path, beautiful or not, and follow a road if they knew it was a dead-end street?

Well, on that day I followed God’s sometimes quite humorous leading and took a few photos although I was not yet sure what to do with them eventually. Just today I felt drawn toward this alley again and took more pictures. Afterwards as I continued on my biking tour, I saw that those paths I usually ride on were inaccessible because of forest work. Hmm… Didn’t the Lord lately tell me that He wanted to show me another way? If He says such things and you ask Him what He meant, you rarely get a sudden reply. Sometimes you can take it literally, sometimes you need an interpretation only the Holy Spirit can provide. And sometimes, it is both. You can take His words literally and later the deeper meaning will be brought to light, too.

“Kanzel” means pulpit (Photo by Susanne Schuberth)

Back to my bike ride. It was rather cold today, but the muddy path God led me went uphill through the woods and so it got warmer quickly. All of a sudden, I felt I had to stop again and take more pics. God is so funny!! I saw three wooden signs on a tree of which the second one in the middle said “Kanzel” which means “pulpit” in English. Hahaha!! XD At first God confirmed that the way of the church was a dead-end street and then he pointed me to a pulpit in the middle of the woods… Very funny, indeed! Yet that was not all. In order to prepare you for the next sign I saw, I need to go back in time two days again.

In the late morning of Wednesday I hurried to the registry office in Fürth in order to renew my ID card. We need to do this every ten years and so I grabbed my new passport pics [you know those biometric photos that bear a striking resemblance to mug shots – wink wink] and left on my bike. Due to an inflammation in my left foot, I had to quit walking lately and so you will find me almost daily with wheels “beneath my feet.” Well, I often find myself in a hurry even if there is no need to feel that way, but although I always tried hard, I could not change that. As I had finally arrived at the second floor hallway of the registry, I saw that it was almost empty. To my amazement there was only one woman who was waiting. Unusual, even this. I felt already relieved as I stood in front of the touch screen display where I ordered my turn ticket. “Lo and behold!!” Hahahaha… Susanne got # 111! 🙂 I really had to grin as I sat down in a chair. But nooo!! Even after only one minute, I saw on another screen that # 111 was called to come to counter # 1. Big grin… In a funny mood I entered and had a great time with that friendly and pretty young woman behind the counter.
Leaving the registry again, I thought I could at least ride a bit more on my bike. Although it was chillingly cold, I pondered that lunch would taste better after some more kilometers. As I was still thinking about God’s humor and about how he took my feeling of being stressed completely away by providing # 111 for me, my glance lighted on the top of a big tree. Oops!! What was this?

Bird house in the woods(Photo by Susanne Schuberth)

Believe it or not, there were three ravens sitting side by side on a branch, a living confirmation of the number I had just drawn before. So, I do hope you are now prepared for the picture I took immediately after I had seen the “pulpit” sign in the woods today. Actually, I only rode a few meters until I saw an ordinary brown bird house on a tree to my right with the number…? I guess you know which one. Just compare it with the picture I posted on here. Oh, before I forget to mention it… as I took some new photos today along that alley, you can be sure that there were at least three ravens around, watching me from a tree right behind me… 😉

Dear Susanne,
This was a wonderful blog. What a “coincidence” that “The Way of the Churches” would be a dead-end street! You wrote, “Honestly, who would ever tread on a path, beautiful or not, and follow a road if they knew it was as dead-end street?” Sad to say, it is done by millions today who still seek after God in the highly visible, beautiful kingdoms of men called “churches.” Did not Jesus say, “The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: neither shall they say, Lo, here! or, There! for lo, the kingdom of God is within you.” (Luke 17:20-21, ASV)?

For many years I followed that dead-end street of the way of the churches. With each failed attempt to fit into their mold, I went away sad and kept looking for a church in which I fit. I felt like Cinderella’s ugly sister trying to cram my size 13 foot into that size 7 glass slipper. Finally, out of desperation I cried out to God, “Lord, I don’t fit! I just don’t fit!” To this He replied, “YOU ARE NOT SUPPOSED TO FIT!” You see, what I learned through all my bad church experiences was that none of them were THE Church (including Catholicism) and all of them were and are a spiritually dead-end street. It was then after giving up on them and seeking Him alone, that God started teaching me from some very important scriptures like this one,

“Therefore Jesus also suffered outside the city gate in order to sanctify the people by his own blood. Let us then go to him outside the camp and bear the abuse he endured. For here we have no lasting city, but we are looking for the city that is to come.” (Heb 13:12-14, NRS)

It is of the fallen nature of Adam to go forth with a curse upon the earth and try and build cities on its sinking sand.. to leave our mark, to build a visible legacy that will last long after our miserable carnal lives are over. Yet, we have this promise which the builders have ignored…

“See that you do not refuse the one who is speaking; for if they did not escape when they refused the one who warned them on earth, how much less will we escape if we reject the one who warns from heaven! At that time his voice shook the earth; but now he has promised, ‘Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heaven.’ This phrase, ‘Yet once more,’ indicates the removal of what is shaken—that is, created things—so that what cannot be shaken may remain. Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us give thanks, by which we offer to God an acceptable worship with reverence and awe; for indeed our God is a consuming fire.” (Heb 12:25-29, NRS)

Only that kingdom that God has built within us by HIS Spirit will remain and survive this final shaking that is upon us. All our attempts to hold our outward worldly lives and institutions together, to leave a legacy, will be for not. The more we hang onto them and seek to save them, the greater will be our loss, FOR OUR GOD IS A CONSUMING FIRE!

“Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall test every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide which he has built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.” (1Cor 3:12-15, KJ2000)

Why do we keep pursuing the fallen ways of Cain of building cities when our example is so clearly the faith walk of Abraham?

“By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should later receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing where he went. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: For he looked for a city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.” (Heb 11:8-10, KJ2000)

Yes, it was a city that was made by God, not men. They were sojourners and remains so on this earth. What we are looking for is outside the gates of Christendom City and the mindset that goes with it. Remember the Stone which the BUILDERS have rejected, has become the Head of the corner of God’s temple made of living stones. “He that has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says unto the churches.”

Thank you, dear Susanne, for sharing your heart and the things Father shows you on your great adventure of walking by faith.

You’re so welcome, Michael, as to the sharing of these few obvious things I had experienced as I did in this blog post. We both know that there is a much deeper meaning to those seemingly funny things God shows us at times,

“[f]or the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their craftiness,” and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.”” (1 Cor 3:19-20 ESV)

Thank you, too, for your explicit explanation of the depth regarding the truth I pointed to in my headline. I assume this could turn out another blog article of yours again? 😉

Susanne, you are welcome. I find it so easy to read your blogs, pray, and listen to what the Spirit is saying to me as I read it again after praying. It is THEN that He shows me what you have shared in the scriptures. He seems to speak to each of us in different ways; you through visible things and dreams and me by speaking a few words in my heart from the Bible and then looking them up in their context. He often uses your writings to trigger these verses as you can tell. 🙂
Once in a while He gives me a physical thing to speak to me like the day I was praying while sitting on a big rock down at the lake and looked down and saw a heart shaped rock between my feet with which he told me to keep pursuing the path I was on — His great love for the saints of God. Our fellowship is truly a blessing to me and your example of faith and honesty in the midst of trials has been a shining light.

I think God had a plan in mind when He put you an me together since what He shows us is almost always complementary. Indeed, I cannot count how often I told you about my dreams, visions, or what the Lord would teach or tell me and you immediately came up with the proper Scriptures. That is truly amazing and has been very helpful for me! ⭐ I am glad you called it a positive trigger above. 🙂 Thank you very much, my dear brother!

Meanwhile I have come to believe that God is talking to us 24/7. When our minds are restless, we easily miss hearing His speaking or ignore inadvertantly what He wants to show us. But if, by God’s grace, we may enter the kingdom of heaven, peace, rest, and joy will be ours. With a new heart and a new mind, eventually, we cannot but rejoice in the goodness of God all day long, I believe, for Jesus promised us the following:

“These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” (Jn 15:11 ESV)

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” (Jn 14:27 ESV)

“It is of the fallen nature of Adam to go forth with a curse upon the earth and try and build cities on its sinking sand.. to leave our mark, to build a visible legacy that will last long after our miserable carnal lives are over.”

This is so sadly true and so pointedly stated. What grieves me the most is that whether it is an ideology perpetuated behind the suit and pulpit, or whether reinforced by the unbiblical “laity”…the bottom line is that man wants this system.

How it grieves our Lord’s heart to have a people redeemed and called to His own heart, but instead gather to find value and worth somewhere else instead.

I like what you said there, David. When I started going to “Church” I thought that was what GOD wanted me to do as I was woken up one Sunday morning. Although I felt farther from GOD in “church” I feel closer to him at home out side listening to his word. Because it is nice out I got to do that just a little bit ago. The snow is melting and it is so nice out that I was able to sit and or walk around the house and listen to his word and a Christian book.

Susanne, you wrote, “Meanwhile I have come to believe that God is talking to us 24/7… With a new heart and a new mind, eventually, we cannot but rejoice in the goodness of God all day long, I believe.”

Amen to that my dear sister! Paul wrote,

“But what says it? The word is near you, even in your mouth, and in your heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach.” Rom 10:8, KJ2000)

I think you are right, my dear sister. His word is near to all those who fear and love Him for He abides in us and we IN Him and Jesus IS the WORD of God who is still speaking as He recreates us with His very words He speaks into each of our hearts. “IN Him we live and move and have our being.” “In Him was life and the life was the light of men.”

David, what you wrote is so true, “How it grieves our Lord’s heart to have a people redeemed and called to His own heart, but instead gather to find value and worth somewhere else instead.”

The people reject God today just as they did in the time of Samuel for all the same reasons. They want a king to rule over them and to fight their spiritual battle for them, and to do all the “God stuff” for them so they don’t have to. And God still sees it as rejection of Himself by them for He wants no other mediator between Him and man other than His Son.

“And it came to pass, when Samuel was old,.. Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah, And said unto him, Behold, you are old, and your sons walk not in your ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations. But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the LORD. And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto you: for they have not rejected you, BUT THEY HAVE REJECTED ME, THAT I SHOULD RULE OVER THEM. According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, with which they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto you.” (1Sam 8:1-8, KJ2000 – emphasis added)

Some things about the fallen nature of Adam never change. “This people draw nigh to me with their mouths, but their hearts are far from me.”

The Lord is so wonderful that way, and really, “the heavens declare the glory of God” – why then shouldn’t see little signs of God everywhere we look? Sometimes it’s as if He likes to play “peek-a-boo” with us or “hide-n-seek” and why not, if we come to Him like our Father and we are like little children? Of all the messages He has given me over the years, the most consistent one would seem to be “remember to be childlike, enjoy Me and have fun” … a most difficult message to remember, when all our sophisticated adult understanding is going up in flames. I love that when things get too serious, He’s there waiting to spring out with a “Boo!” to remind me what it’s all about.

Louise, that was a great comment. All of God’s creation declares His glory. All of nature is His pulpit. Paul wrote, “Ever since the creation of the world his invisible nature, namely, his eternal power and deity, has been clearly perceived in the things that have been made.”

Susanne, 111, three ones… then you saw three ravens sitting on the same branch beside each other. This is a miracle in itself! Ravens are highly competitive and independent. I have never seen even two of them sitting on the same wire or branch together, yet Father they obeyed Father and did so just for you. The Three; Father, Son and Holy Spirit are One. And what is so fantastic is that we who are Christ’s are IN Christ and are invited into that same unity with them and with one another IN them. Jesus prayed,

“I do not pray for these only, but also for those who believe in me through their word, that they may all be one; even as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.” (John 17:20-21, RSV)

It does not get any better than this! You and I are ONE in Christ, one in our Father, one in Jesus, and one in the Spirit of Christ. We are no longer of our independent fallen former Adam natures, but if any man or woman be IN Christ they are a NEW creation. You are a tremendous blessing to us all, dear sister as you speak from the unity you have IN Christ! ❤ Thank you so much.

I remember that those three ravens were sitting side by side like three “ones” (digits), but not necessarily on the same branch. However, they were rather close to one another which made me wonder, too, since it is unusual.

From the first time as I had seen the turn ticket with # 111, I felt that God wanted to tell me something. As I later saw those three ravens as if they were a black “natural number” above the earth, I felt God speaking to my heart that the Oneness of the Trinity belonged to me. That touched me deeply!! And then the confirmation and second witness in the woods as I discovered the bird house yesterday. I feel so humbled!

Sounds delightful and fun. And yes I know Our Father has a great sense of humor. I have a story about a raven from years ago. At first I thought he was going to eat my donuts when I was returning to the picnic table so I chased him off. But then I became embarrassed because I saw that he left some bread of his own. Ooops. The message I got back then was Walk by faith and not by sight.

Yes, it was very delightful, Stacey, and it was not easy to only pick out those few situations out of many wonderful things God has done every day (and night). 😉

Thank you for sharing your story with us on here, too. Interesting, the raven left bread although he seemingly had wanted to eat your donut before… I do wonder what that could mean, speaking spiritually, I mean… 🙄

Maybe, God does not take away from you what you really like. Instead, He offers to feed you from heaven with His Bread which is Christ.

Which is interesting that you said that because I had a cup of donut holes with a lid, a bible and coffee on the picnic table. I walked away to walk and talk with God along the shore. I was on Picnic Island. Walking back I saw a crow or raven near my donuts. I ran and the bird flew away because I didn’t want to my donuts gone. (laughing now about it). And my bible was right there too. He was eating his own bread. But left the crumbs. I had to apologize for my lack of faith.

I particularly love verse 10 since it is so true! Only few know what the fear of the Lord is about. It is not being scared because He is much greater and mightier than our little and helpless selves. Instead, it is the (God-given!) desire to please Him more than anyone else, even out of love. ❤

Stacey,
Yes, very unusual for a raven to leave you food instead of taking it. Elijah also had this happen (see 1 Kings 17:2-6). Elijah was alone and persecuted at that time by the wicked queen of Israel, Jezebel, and God hid him and fed him for 3 1/2 years, miraculously during a famine in the land. God bless you, sister!

Thank you Michael. I had thought about that too when it happened. Today I feel strongly that Our Father will take care of me no matter what circumstances I find myself in. I am going back to NC in less than a week. We have talked before about something specific about living arrangements and whether or not I thought it might be wrong to lean on that or not. Well it turned out that I couldn’t even get it tho I qualified. I am glad because than for sure I would have been stuck. God is good like that tho I don’t see it at the time. Where I am going will be more convenient since I do not have a car. And EVERYTHING will be within walking distance including the bus stop. (chuckle) And my little girls can come see me and we’ll get a hotel room and rent a car and go visit the mountains. Oh what joy that will be!

Thank you, Susanne and Stacey. I felt that God wanted me to post it so He could use it for His purposes. I know many are struggling to fit in the churches of men, not knowing yet that that which is seen is temporal, but that which is NOT seen is eternal. It reminds me of that old song, “Looking for love in all the wrong places.” I am so glad we have found each other in His love outside the camp where Jesus is. ❤

We both know how it feels to struggle “to fit in the churches of men” and what a relief it was to quit working “for God” as men saw fit. Looking for love coming from (wo)man will leave you always disappointed since God alone can give us what we really need and desire. Also, we may never forget that the narrow path that leads to Life IN Him is not for everyone for only few are able to find it during this lifetime on earth (cf. Mt 7:14). I am happy to have found you too! 🙂

Fred, your comment about going to church and feeling further and further from God reminds me of a quote from Lenny Bruce, “Every day people are straying away from the church and going back to God.” You are not alone, my brother!

I am especially happy Michael that you found me! Through Ruthie, then came you and I thought? Hmmm… who is this person liking all my posts? So I had to find out and lo and behold through you came Susanne, and I was marveled at the fact that finally I understood the language of all that I have endured and didn’t understand why as to where all churches and nut doctors could not tell me but you were divinely inspired by the Holy Spirit to teach me as I was very open to understand. And I said YES!!! I understand this language!!!! Then came Fred and felt him reaching out to search for truth and he has stayed along with us. Then I met Funny Jack and we are just one big happy and yet still following the path to truth. Each of us on different levels of understanding. But I do admit that Michael and Susanne you really do have a sense of harmony when you write and so well put. I am sad a little for leaving here in a few days from Florida but am happy to move on too. I am so thankful I don’t have much material baggage to lug around. LOL And let’s not forget Anne! My dream of Isaiah 43 from about 20 yrs ago has and is coming to pass. There are many more to come into the fold!!!!

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“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him."
(John 3:16-17 ESV)

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